Definitely Worth It
by DrDoogle
Summary: Percy would do anything for Annabeth, that's one thing she's sure of. But, when he takes a fatal blow for her, they decide to reminisce on old times, and Annabeth's not sure she can deal with the loss of her beloved. For Percy, however, it's all definitely worth it when he does it for her.


**Hi there! I know I should be writing the third chapter to 'Welcome To Goode!' right now, but as I stated in the Author's Note at the end of the second chapter, I got the idea for this story while I was generating ideas for 'Welcome To Goode!'. And, with my ADD and hyperactivity, I couldn't really think about or _do_ anything else, until I wrote this, so I hope you guys enjoy it! It's just a one-shot, and as a quick warning, there is character death.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to PJO or HoO**

**Annabeth's POV:**

Percy had lost his mind; she was sure of it this time. Instead of staying back and letting me deal with the pack of monsters' wrath, he had jumped in and taken blow after blow for me, hacking away at fiend after fiend. By the end of it he was coughing up blood, and it was evident that after 29 years of being together, this might be it.

'_No! I can't think like that; I need to be strong for his sake._' Tears flowed down my face as I ran to Percy's side and shoved ambrosia squares down his throat. His paling face just smiled up at me like I was a million bucks, but I knew that couldn't have been true, we'd both just gone through a tough battle.

His aquamarine irises had hardened over the years, especially after tough battles with monsters. His black hair remained ever untameable, no matter how much he tried, but he had cropped it, deciding that was one thing he could do to at least keep it from flying in every direction. His lean, well-muscled figure had certainly improved from the comparably scrawny, nervous kid who stumbled into camp asking for his mother all those years ago. Even his personality had changed a little, no matter how much he tried to keep his cheery, lethargic nature, some of my level-headedness had rubbed off on him.

The only thing I knew hadn't changed about him was his smile. The smile he made when he looked at me, no matter if I was sick, had suffered a sleepless night, or had fought with me the night before. He always grinned a mile-wide goofy grin, and his eyes brightened to a sparkling, calm ocean green. The smile I had fallen in love with.

But now, here I was, kneeling over him, thinking he might not make it. And it hurt, more than anything. The pain I felt when holding the sky could not even compare to the heart wrenching feeling I felt in the pit of my stomach right now. And there he was, still grinning up at her like it was just any other day.

He leaned over his shoulder and coughed up more blood before turning back to me and opening his mouth. "We've been through a lot, huh, Wise Girl?" I wanted to slap him; how could he be thinking about that at a time like this? But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it's what he needed right now.

I rubbed the tears out of my eyes and chuckled, my voice breaking. "Yeah, we have been through a lot." I smiled at all the adventures we'd been through and more than one of them stuck out in her mind.

"Remember that one time I got a call home from your school when we were 17?" He threw his head back in laughter but winced soon afterwards.

_**Flashback**_

_"Wise Girl, you didn't tell me that you went to such a nice school!" I giggled and slapped him lightly on the shoulder._

_"You never asked, Seaweed Brain!" He just looked at me and gave me his signature grin._

_At that moment, we happened to be walking through the courtyard that led to the on-campus dorms of the co-ed private school I'd been going to at the time. As we kept strolling along, telling each other dumb jokes and laughing, a group of guys wolf-whistled at me from the bench they were sitting on._

_Percy looked ready to open a can of 'Demigod Whoopass', but I shook his shoulder and gave him a look that said 'don't bother'._  
_He just sighed in defeat and kept walking along with me, but one of the idiot mortals just had to keep going._

_"Ass is looking good, as always, Chase." I heard a guttural growl resonate from Percy and before the group of mortals even had time to think, Percy was storming over there with a clenched fist that screamed can-opener._

_After Percy had kicked the mortal's butt, we were sitting in the office of the dean of students, who was yelling at Percy about delinquency or some other balogne. He just kept nodding his head and looking at me, giving me a big grin. I just rolled my eyes and waited for the dean to quit the lecture._

_Pretty soon after, he'd come to the conclusion that we weren't paying attention, evident in the fact that we were silently staring at each other. However, four words made Percy perk up very quickly: "I'm calling your parents."_

_I sat inside of Percy's apartment as he was waiting for his mom to return home. Now, don't get me wrong, Sally was the nicest person in the world, but when it came to Percy, she was tough on him, but only because she wanted what was best for him._

_He was slumped over, twiddling his thumbs and sighing repeatedly, mentally preparing himself to explain how he'd managed to get into a fight with people he didn't even know. I smiled at him and patted him on the shoulder before leaning in and pressing my lips against his. He eagerly returned the kiss, and after however many minutes we'd sat there, we both pulled away to catch our breaths._

_"Was it worth it?" He just grinned at me as if it were obvious._

_"Definitely."_

_He'd ended up receiving a harsh talking-to from his mother, and he got grounded for a little while, but he didn't seem to mind, after all, he'd done it for me._

_**End** **Flashback**_

I cried even harder as I remembered even more of the adventures we'd had. He just placed his hand squarely on my back and rubbed it around in circles. I was supposed to be the one comforting him, not the other way around!

After awhile, I pulled my head off of his shoulder, and decided that if this was going to be the last time I'd see him in the mortal world, I'd make it the best damn memory we'd ever had. I forcefully pressed my lips to his, passionately seeking to express all I felt at the moment, and he returned the kiss with similar eagerness. After awhile, we both needed to come up for breath, and when we did, I just rested my chin on his shoulder while he rested his on the top of my curls.

"I love you, Percy. I love you more than words can ever express, and I don't want you to leave me." Even after all that had happened, he just kept the toothy grin plastered on his face.

"I know, and I love you too, Annabeth." He gently pressed his lips to my head and I released another sob. He pulled me down to him and I leaned my head against his chest and rested beside him.

We just laid there for a little while more, waiting for the backup from camp I'd asked for when we'd first spotted the monsters approaching. I could still feel his heart beating, and that was all that mattered to me. His being there was all that would ever matter to me. But, just by looking into his eyes, I could tell he didn't plan on making it out of this.

In the far distance, I could see a shimmer of white approaching us, but I knew they wouldn't be able to make it in time. I knew I would have to sit here and watch Percy leave me. He knew it too, and the only thing he could do for me was just keep grinning.

I traced the numerous scars along his arm that he'd accumulated over the years. I'd been there when he'd received them, and even back then, I hadn't been able to do anything about it. Our battle formations almost always worked, but whenever he thought my life was in danger, he would jump in for me, even if he knew I could take care of myself. He'd always been like that, but especially after our return from Tartarus, and I didn't have the heart to tell him to _not_ protect me. I knew he would've just refused, anyways.

As we sat there, the rumbles and groans of the white van now approaching and shouts of young and old campers could be heard from miles away, I knew there was one thing I could do for him. One thing that might make his big grin mean something. One thing that might make all of this mean something.

I released another sob and smiled brokenly at him. "Was it worth it?"

With the color still draining from his usually tan complexion, his sea-green eyes swirling in discomfort and staring lovingly at me, and his cropped black hair strewn about wildly, he grinned a goofy, toothy, and unbelievably handsome grin and looked at me as if it were obvious.

"Definitely."

**Well, that's it! I hope you enjoyed the story, even if it was a little sad. And, now that I've gotten that out of my system, I should be able to sit down and write a much longer chapter for 'Welcome To Goode!'. I've even come up with some original ideas for where to take the story! If you want to leave suggestions as to what other stories to write, or for the plot of 'Welcome To Goode!', feel free!**

**If you liked the story, consider reviewing, favoriting, or following me for new stories and updates to 'Welcome To Goode!'. ~DrDoogle**


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